Castles · Tour

A Free Pălincă Tasting After the 123 Bears and the Râșnov Letters

Four stops in a day from Brașov, the last of them a distillery, which is what separates this one from the rest. The sanctuary at Zărnești holds 123 brown bears of all ages and is the largest in Europe. The visit is guided. Bran Castle had three uses before the legend attached itself: a military fortification, then a customs post, then one of the summer residences of the Romanian royal family. The guided tour covers the inside and the English garden outdoors, and there is free time for the bazaar at the foot of the castle. Râșnov was a serious medieval fortification in Transylvania, with the Țara Bârsei spread out below. The visit takes in the outside garden and the Râșnov letters on the hill, with time for souvenirs. Then the distillery. Pălincă is the Romanian fruit spirit, and the stop explains how plums, apricots, cherries, pears and the rest are distilled and matured. The tasting is free, and bottles can be bought to take home. Back in Brașov in the afternoon.